Monday, September 12, 2011

Another company turns plastic back into oil (in Ohio, USA)

Photo: banner from Vaddx website.


Looks like another company has invented a technique/machine for turning plastic rubbish back into oil: Vaddx Energy. They are based in Akron, Ohio. This is water on my soul.

I had already heard about a Japanese company called Blest, started by Akinori Ito in Japan (earlier post here). There is a great Youtube video showing the machine he has created which converts plastic back into oil. He travelled around third-world countries showing people how plastic rubbish could actually become a resource. Basically his machine heats up the plastic, which is converted to vapour first, then captured as oil. Any type of rubbish can be stuffed into the machine.

But I guess these guys are proposing converting all the waste from a particular area, which is awesome. It's being applied. From their website:

Vadxx Energy (Cleveland, OH) manufactures synthetic crude oil, natural gas and recovers metals using raw material feedstock consisting of petroleum-based wastes. The raw material feedstock includes auto fluff, e-wastes, scrap tires, recyclable and non-recyclable plastics, synthetic fibers, used industrial solvents, waste oil and heavy refinery bottom oil. Vadxx has a license to implement patented technology and is developing additional technology.

The company has a Research and Development Office and a pilot plant in Akron, OH. The first Vadxx commercial-scale synthetic crude oil manufacturing units will be installed at Ohio locations, near Vadxx operations. Vadxx crude oil and natural gas is sold to energy marketing firms. Crude oil customers include petroleum refiners.
(SPOTTED ON: DO THE GREEN THING, WHO SPOTTED IT ON GOOD.IS)

2 comments:

  1. This is Awesome! Recently I saw some pieces on shows like CNN and the journal with Joan Lunden on PBS that were talking about issues and solutions for industrial recycling. This kind of thing takes it to the next level. Of course it's not as good as eliminating oil altogether but it will help get rid of some of the waste for now. I hope they do well.

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  2. Yes. We can get rid of the waste we've already created, I think.

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